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Canadiens Lose In Heartbreaking Fashion

If the Montreal Canadiens lost an important game against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, they lost an even more important one on Saturday night against the Boston Bruins. After the Sabres had leapfrogged over them thanks to a Saturday afternoon matinee win, the Canadiens almost played a perfect road game but came up just short.

While playing on the road and without the last change, the Canadiens looked surgical on the ice for most of the game. After 40 minutes of play, the Bruins had only been able to take 13 shots on net, including only two in the first frame. Six of their 13 shots had come on the power play as well.

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Mr. Saturday Night

Not so long ago, that nickname belonged to Carey Price in Montreal, but nowadays, it refers to sniper Cole Caufield. With a hat trick against the Bruins, the sniper has now taken the lead in goals scored on Saturday night with 11, two ahead of Nathan MacKinnon and three ahead of Connor McDavid.

What’s even more impressive is that he also leads the league in most game-tying and go-ahead goals with 20, that’s 69% of his goals that have been determinant. Caufield doesn’t score the seventh goal in a 7-2 blowout; he’s in the trenches early on and scores when his team needs him the most.

Since being left off the Team USA roster, Caufield has 10 goals and 14 points in 13 games. I think it’s fair to say that the snub has motivated him. In the end, Bill Guerin and co. might have given both the Canadiens and the Canadians a hand there. Caufield is playing insanely well for his team and won’t hurt Team Canada at the Olympics, the best of both worlds.

A Big Scare

For a minute, it looked like we may not get any fights in this traditional rivalry matchup, until Kirby Dach and Jonathan Aspirot dropped the gloves 15:33 into the first frame. Yes, you read that right, Dach dropped the gloves.

After the tilt, he skated right to the rook and needed some repairs on a lacerated finger. The 25-year-old was lucky in his misfortune, as his first punch got nothing but a helmet; he could have broken a hand or a thumb on that play. Skating away with just a cut was a blessing.

Don’t tell the coach that’s not something Dach should be doing, though; he didn’t want to hear it after the game.

Lack Of A Killer Instinct

For much of the third period, the Bruins couldn’t get near the net. With less than seven minutes to go in the game, Boston only had 15 shots, but when you only have a one-goal lead, you’re playing with fire.

The Habs had the perfect opportunity to put the game away when Brendan Gallagher drew a penalty, but Montreal was unable to put the final nail in the Bruins’ coffin; they could only muster one shot on goal on that power play.

With just over 6 minutes left in the game, Fraser Minten scored with a backhand shot to tie the score. Seconds later, Alexandre Carrier took a holding penalty, and on the ensuing draw, which Phillip Danault lost, the Bruins set up Morgan Geekie for a slap shot, and he didn’t miss. The puck flew by Montembeault so quickly that nobody but Geekie knew that it was in the back of the net. Two goals in 15 seconds and the game flipped on its head. After the match, Martin St-Louis said that Geekie’s shot deflected off Evans’ leg, and that’s why it got past the goalie.

It’s another four goals on just 21 shots, which gives Montembeault an .810 save percentage on the night, but given the fact that three goals were scored on the power play, it’s hard to blame the goaltender. Still, the masked man is paid to do a tough job and to win games, you need your goaltender to make the big save.

With that loss, the Canadiens are now in the first wildcard spot, a single point ahead of the Bruins. Meanwhile, the Sabres are now third in the Atlantic, and while they have the same number of points as the Canadiens, they have a game in hand. With just five games to go before the Olympic break, the Habs find themselves in some troubled waters, and they must find a way to win some games in a hurry. Next Saturday, they will once again be playing against the Sabres in what will truly be a do-or-die affair.

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Panthers aim for perfect road trip, wrap up back-to-back set with matchup in Chicago

The Florida Panthers are continuing their chilly road trip in another place they have struggled in recent years.

On Thursday, the Panthers picked up a gritty 2-1 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets. It was Florida’s first win in Winnipeg under Head Coach Paul Maurice, who is in his fourth season behind the Cats’ bench.

Florida has had similar results when visiting the Chicago Blackhawks.

Under Maurice, Florida has lost three straight games in the Windy City by a combined score of 12-5.

We’ll see if the Cats can exorcise their recent demons in Chi-town and continue a recent run of strong play.

Overall, Florida arrives in Chicago with wins in five of their past seven

The interesting thing about those five wins is that they all came on the road.

It’s also worth noting that the Panthers are as healthy at forward as they’ve been all season.

Both Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Marchand have joined Florida’s lineup over the past week, each having an instant impact on Florida’s ability to earn victories.

Tkachuk has picked up three points over his past two games, including a pair of primary helpers, while Marchand logged two goals and an assist, including the overtime winner, Saturday night in Minnesota.

Now Florida will try to wrap up a perfect road trip and pick up a third win in four nights when they face the Blackhawks.

Similarly to the Panthers, Chicago is scratching for every point they can get in order to keep pace in a busy playoff race.

Both teams are five points behind the second Wild Card spot in their respective conference, but while Florida has two games in hand and only one team to climb over, the Blackhawks have played one more game than San Jose and have three other teams they’d need to leapfrog.

Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s battle with the Blackhawks:

Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand

A.J. Greer – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk

Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart

Sandis Vilmanis – Luke Kunin – Mackie Samoskevich

Gus Forsling – Aaron Ekblad

Niko Mikkola – Uvis Balinskis

Tobias Bjornfot – Jeff Petry

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The Hockey Show: Sergei Bobrovsky fights, Panthers getting healthy, Heated Rivalry, Adnan Virk

Photo caption: Jan 22, 2026; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Florida Panthers players celebrate their victory over the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

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Open Thread: Spurs rate their wardrobe choices

I found this on Instagram:

The video is called “Flex Check.”

In it Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, and Harrison Barnes rate some of their game day outfits they wore on their way to the arena.

Vassell, one of the most stylish members of the Spurs, saw himself in some a hoodie, beanie, andTimberlands heading in from the cold. He appreciated his color combination and gave the outfit an 8.5.

Keldon gave himself a 10 for a combo he got at the Luis Vuitton store. For a baller normally seen in boots and a cowboy hat, he certainly looks dapper and red carpet ready.

Harrison Barnes described his stylish suit as a “clean fit” but gave himself an 8 for passing on a button down shirt for a t-shirt.

Hopefully there will be additional installments with the other members of the Silver & Black. It’d be great to hear what Victor, Stephon, Dylan, and Luke think of their entrances.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

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4 Things to Watch for as the Mavericks Visit the Bucks

The Dallas Mavericks (19-27) travel to Milwaukee to play the Bucks (18-26) after losing to Luka Doncic’s Lakers on Saturday. The Mavs had their four-game win streak snapped by the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. After a quick turnaround, they hope to regroup as they enter Sunday’s showdown with the Antetokounmpo-less Bucks, who are coming off a home loss to the Denver Nuggets. Here are three things to think about as Dallas looks to get back on track in Milwaukee.‘

How tired will they be?

The Mavericks did not get to leave Dallas on Saturday night.

Teams always try to travel the night before so players can get some rest and acclimate to the the area they’re playing in. The Mavericks will try to come in hot and eek out a win despite being low on any reasonable amount of energy.

Antetokounmpo Out with Calf Strain

The misery of the Milwaukee Bucks’ season deepened on Friday night after Giannis Antetokounmpo left the game against the Denver Nuggets with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. It was later revealed he suffered a right calf strain, the same injury that kept him sidelined three weeks earlier this season. He’ll miss 4-6 weeks this time around.

Despite the disappointing year for Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo has played like his MVP self. In 30 games, he’s averaged 28.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.3 stocks (steals + blocks). He’s the fifth most efficient scorer in the NBA at 64.5% from the floor. In November’s 116-114 win over Dallas, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 30 points on 11/18 from the floor and eight rebounds. No Antetokounmpo leaves a big hole in the middle. If the Mavs want to keep their win streak alive, they’ll have to expose the paint on both ends of the floor and Milwaukee’s lack of a true big man.

The Bucks’ Offensive Struggles

The Bucks are a .500 team with Antetokounmpo, but are dreadful without him. In the 14 games he’s missed this season, Milwaukee is 3-11. The Bucks are 27th in the NBA in offensive rating this season at 111.9 points per 100 possessions. With Antetokounmpo, they have an offensive rating of 116.3 points, which would be fifth in the NBA. Without him, they sit dead last in the NBA with an offensive rating of 108.0 points, just behind the Brooklyn Nets. Without Antetokounmpo’s gravity, it’s challenging for Milwaukee to find consistent good looks at the basket. 

The next two big men in line for the Bucks are Myles Turner and Bobby Portis, who both spend a lot of time on the perimeter, along with power forward Kyle Kuzma. Without the main cog in the wheel, Milwaukee will try to rely on its shooting to bail them out. They are second in the NBA in three-point shooting percentage at 39.2%.

Milwaukee has scorers, having seven players who average double digits in points: Antetokounmpo (28.0), Kevin Porter Jr. (16.8), Ryan Rollins (16.1), Bobby Portis (13.1), Kyle Kuzma (12.5), Myles Turner (12.4), and A.J Green (10.5). The Bucks’ second-best scorer in Kevin Porter Jr. is out due to an oblique strain. One silver lining for Milwaukee this season has been the growth of guard Ryan Rollins. The 44th overall pick in the 2022 draft by the Warriors found his way on the Bucks roster last season and has propelled himself to a potential future cornerstone. Expect him to have the ball in his hands a lot.

The Mavericks’ Offense Has Been Rolling

On the Dallas side, they’ve been one of the best paint-scoring teams in this recent stretch of good basketball, getting to the rim at will. The Mavs’ quickness on the perimeter with Brandon Williams, Ryan Nembhard, and Max Christie has allowed them to have their way against opponents inside. Add in the craftiness and ability to get to their spots of guys like Naji Marshall and Cooper Flagg, and defenses have their hands full. Dallas sits at sixth in the NBA in points per game scored in the paint at 53.3. Attacking and finishing against this Bucks defense should be a top priority for the Mavs.

Although the Mavs haven’t been great this season from beyond the arc, they have been better as of late, making double-digit threes in five consecutive games: 10, 13, 15, 18, and 19. Max Christie continues to shoot the lights out as the league’s seventh-best three-point shooter at a scoring 45.7%. Klay Thompson has been on a heater in January as well. In his last five games, he’s 20/42 from distance, 47.6%. Dallas will need to keep knocking down deep shots if it wants to get back in the win column.

How to Watch

Tipoff is 6 PM and you can watch on KFAA-TV, Mavs.com, or NBA League Pass.

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Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Vancouver Canucks 1/25/2026

Who: Pittsburgh Penguins (25-14-11, 61 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) @ Vancouver Canucks (17-29-5, 39 points, 8th place Pacific Division)

When: 6:00 p.m. ET

How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh, SN and TVAS in Canada, streaming on ESPN+

Pens’ Path Ahead: There’s another extended break after this one for the Pens, who don’t play again until a home game next Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks. After that there are only two home games (against the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators) and two road games (at the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres) before the Olympic break.

Opponent Track: The Canucks have been spiraling down the NHL standings pretty much ever since trading star defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 13. Vancouver won a Wednesday matchup with the Washington Capitals, but that’s the team’s only victory in their last 12 games.

Season Series: Conor Garland was the only player who scored for the Canucks in a 5-1 loss to the Pens back at PPG Paints Arena in October.

Getting to know the Canucks

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Evander Kane – Elias Pettersson – Jake DeBrusk

Drew O’Connor – Filip Chytil – Brock Boeser

Liam Ohgren – Teddy Blueger – Conor Garland

Nils Hoglander – Max Sasson – Linus Karlsson

DEFENSEMEN

Elias Nils Pettersson / Filip Hronek

Zeev Buium / Tyler Myers

Marcus Pettersson / Tom Willander

Goalies: Kevin Lankinen, Nikita Tolopilo

Potential Scratches: Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Aatu Raty

IR: Thatcher Demko, Marco Rossi, Derek Forbor

  • Thatcher Demko hasn’t played since Jan. 10, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to return for the Canucks this season, Patrick Johnston reported Saturday for The Province. General manager Patrick Allvin has said Demko is receiving opinions from medical professionals regarding his injury. The Canucks are expecting an update on his status within the next few days, per Johnston.
  • The Canucks recalled AHL goaltender Nikita Tolopilo on an emergency basis Saturday while sending down backup Jiri Patera. Tolopilo has made six appearances for the Canucks this season, most recently taking a shelling in a 6-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 17, while Lankinen has made a team-high 27 appearances.
  • The Canucks are a team stacked with former Penguins including Drew O’Connor, Teddy Blueger and Marcus Pettersson. (P.O. Joseph will likely be scratched from the lineup).
  • O’Connor has been one of the most productive Canucks as of late. He and his linemate Brock Boeser have contributed for five total goals and seven total points over the Canucks’ last five games.
  • Elias Pettersson made an impressive empty-net save during Friday’s loss to the New Jersey Devils.

Season stats
via hockeydb

  • The Canucks followed up the Hughes trade by sending Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks. Given their spot in the standings, it seems likely the team would like to sell off a few more players down the stretch. Per PuckPedia, Evander Kane, Blueger and David Kampf are all pending free agents this season.
  • Getting decent return value for that trio could be difficult, for a variety of reasons. The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reported earlier this month that Kane’s trade market is “lukewarm.” Blueger has missed almost the entirety of the season amid a three-month absence with a lower-body injury, and Kampf struggled this fall. If they can pick up play heading into the Olympic break, however, the Canucks could look to move them both to get some draft capital and clear roster spaces for young players down the stretch.
  • Speaking of young players getting more playing time down the stretch in Vancouver: rookie defenseman Zeev Buium played almost 24 minutes during Friday’s loss to the Devils, one of his highest ice times of the season, and he’s been bumped up to the Canucks top power play unit.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines 

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

Anthony Mantha – Ben Kindel – Justin Brazeau

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Brett Kulak / Kris Letang (?)

Ryan Shea / Jack St. Ivany

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Kevin Hayes, Ilya Solovyov, Connor Clifton

IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones

  • The Penguins could potentially have both Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang back for this one after Letang joined Saturday’s practice as a full participant, although coach Dan Muse stopped short Saturday of committing to Letang’s availability.
  • If Letang is able to return, it looks like Connor Clifton could be headed back to the bench after a seven-game stretch in the lineup.
  • This will mark Arturs Silovs’ Vancouver homecoming for the first time since his trade to the Pens last summer. He celebrated Saturday by receiving his Calder Cup Championship ring from his win with the Abbotsford Canucks last June.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes refused to give up ground on their division lead with a Saturday night win over the Ottawa Senators. The Islanders were shut out 5-0 by the Buffalo Sabres, however, keeping them— at least for now— from climbing any closer to the Pens in the standings.

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Phillies news: Justin Crawford, Opening Day, Jose Ramirez

Settle in, folks. Things around here gonna be cold for a while.

But enough about the team’s offseason!!!

On to the links.

Phillies news:

MLB news:

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Polar Bear says there’s a “New Oriole Way” coming this year

Hello, friends.

There are now 60 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. WBC-participating pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota in just 15 days. I don’t normally derive much excitement out of spring training is approaching milestones but in the midst of the current snow/ice and with the possibility of not seeing above-freezing temperatures for several days, the idea of approaching baseball does bring a certain mental warmth, if not physical warmth. I hope that if you are in the path of this weather, that it goes by with minimal inconvenience and no harm.

The aforementioned snow has deprived us of the chance to have any kind of fresh Birdland Caravan-related stuff to talk about today. The team acted with perhaps an excessive amount of caution in canceling the entire Saturday lineup of activities. It seems like at least the first wave of planned things could have gone off. I figure that was driven as much by the players wanting to get out of the area ahead of the arrival of the weather as it was by any safety concerns about having local fans on the road. I can’t really blame them if that’s the case, but anyone who is disappointed to miss out on unique opportunities to see the players outside their uniforms and open to fans is totally fair to feel that way.

What we’ve got instead is the same leftover stuff that came out at Friday’s round of events, where Pete Alonso talked about setting a “New Oriole Way” and where Gunnar Henderson said he’s healed from the recently-revealed shoulder impingement he was going through last season and is looking forward to a healthy season.

Henderson further explained that this happened at some point early in the season when diving for a ball and it also caused inflammation, which caused him to use a sub-optimal swing plane for driving the ball. This all remains a plausible story for why Henderson only hit 17 homers last year and why he could be poised for a monster bounce-back. I got burned believing in a coming Adley Rutschman revival this time a year ago. We’ve heard more specifics from Henderson himself than we ever did about Rutschman, so it’s probably not as crazy to believe in that one, but still… I’ve heard all this before and sometimes it amounted to nothing.

On Friday night, another one of the big top prospect lists released its preseason top 100 for the year. That was MLB Pipeline, freshly updated for 2026 with three Orioles on its top 100. They’ve got Samuel Basallo high on the list at #8, Dylan Beavers at #69, and last year’s breakout outfielder Nate George at #93. Those three were also on the recent Baseball America top 100 prospects list, with BA also ranking two pitching prospects, Trey Gibson and Luis De León, who were left off the Pipeline list.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Pete Alonso says there’s a ‘New Oriole Way.’ What might that be? (The Baltimore Banner)
Beat writer Andy Kostka digs into Alonso’s remark. The slugger did not offer any specifics so we are left to guess.

Orioles players have been getting to know the new skipper, and they also know that it’s time to win (Steve On Baseball)
Steve Melewski observes that the Birdland Caravan events offered some players the chance for face-to-face interaction with new manager Craig Albernaz and what seemed to come out of some of that.

Albernaz on 2026 Orioles: ‘I feel good about this club’ (Baltimore Baseball)
It might not end up meaning anything that he says this, but I’m reminded again that if Albernaz got a bad vibe about the Orioles, he could have told them to take a hike and that he’d look for open manager’s jobs next year.

Why Basallo, Beavers being ranked top 100 prospects again matters (The Baltimore Sun)
The Sun reminds us of the Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick potential, for which Basallo and Beavers are now officially qualified after being on both the BA and Pipeline lists.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Nothing of particular note in Orioles history is recorded for this day. I don’t imagine Mike Elias, trapped by the snow, is going to change that in 2026.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1998 two-game pitcher Richie Lewis, 1989 infielder Francisco Meléndez, and 1963-68 pitcher Wally Bunker. Today is Bunker’s 81st birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: mathematician Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736), author Virginia Woolf (1882), President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (1978), musician Alicia Keys (1981), and actress/musician Ariana DeBose (1991).

On this day in history…

In 750, rebels fought against the reigning Umayyad Caliphate in the Battle of the Zab in modern-day Iraq. The victory by these rebels led to the overthrow of the Umayyad, which was replaced with the Abbasid Caliphate. The Abbasids ruled in Baghdad until the Mongols arrived close to 500 years later.

In 1858, at a wedding between Princess Victoria of England and Friedrich of Prussia, Felix Mendelssohn’s Wedding March was played; this piece remains a recognizable staple at weddings to this day.

In 1945, during World War II, the Battle of the Bulge came to an end about a month after the surprise German attack on Allied lines, with the German offensive being repelled and turned back.

In 1971, Charles Manson as well as four members of his so-called “Family” were found guilty of a series of eight murders across two nights in August 1969.

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a little book of Orioles trivia questions for Christmas. I’ll ask one question in this space each time it’s my turn until I run out of questions or forget. The book is multiple choice but I’m not providing the choices because it would be too easy.

Who led the Orioles in home runs during the 1970 season?

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on January 25. Have a safe Sunday.

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Warriors reportedly among teams interested in Miles Bridges trade with Hornets

Warriors reportedly among teams interested in Miles Bridges trade with Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors appear to have some interest in a veteran wing.

With approximately two weeks until the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline, Golden State is one of the teams expressing interest in Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported, citing league sources, in a story published Friday.

“As for Hornets that might be on the move, veteran forward Miles Bridges is drawing significant interest, league sources told The Athletic,” Amick wrote. “The Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are all known to be among the interested parties, though it remains to be seen if any team can compel the Hornets to give Bridges up.

Amick also quoted a league source, who believes Charlotte is seeking at least one, and potentially two, first-round draft picks in a potential deal for Bridges.

In 45 games this season, Bridges is averaging 18.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game on 44.5-percent shooting from the field and 33.4 percent from 3-point range.

Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 12 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Bridges, 27, has played seven seasons with Charlotte, but missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season and the first 10 games of the 2023-24 season due to a suspension for his role in a 2022 domestic violence case.

Bridges pleaded no contest to a felony charge in Nov. 2022, resulting in three years of probation and no jail time.

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Pirates non-roster invitees to Spring Training

The Pittsburgh Pirates made some big additions to their Spring Training team, including some of the franchise’s best prospects.

The Pirates announced seven more non-roster invitees to their Major League camp down in Bradenton, Fla. They will train with the best players and look to boost their stock ahead of the 2026 season.

Top prospect Konnor Griffin is the big name to be announced for the Spring Training team. He was selected ninth overall in the 2024 draft out of Jackson preparatory school in Mississippi. He was the first high school player selected in that draft and the Bucs believe he could be a future star just for the team but in the league.

He had a strong Spring Training, starting with Single-A Bradenton, he then moved to High-A Greensboro on June 10 and then to Double-A with Altoona on July 18. Griffin slashed .333/.415/.527 for an OPS of .942 in 122 games, 161 hits, 23 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs, 94 RBIs, 50 walks to 122 strikeouts and 65 stolen bases on 13 attempts.

He became the unanimous top prospect in baseball, he played in the Futures Game during All-Star week and earned numerous accolades for his play, including Baseball America naming him their Minor League Player of the Year Award and MLB Pipeline naming him their Hitting Prospect of the Year and Debut of the Year.

Griffin is also heavily rumored to be the potential Opening Day shortstop for the Pirates. He won an MiLB Gold Glove Award at the position in 2025. Since moving Oneil Cruz to the outfield the Pirates have not been set at the short stop position. 

 The other players are infielders Termarr Johnson and Duce Gorson, catchers in Omar Alfonzo and Shawn Ross, as well as right-handed pitchers in Noah Davis and Chris Devenski are the seven additions.

Johnson is another young player that really excited the organization. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft out of Benjamin E. Mays high school in Atlanta, Georgia. 

The young prospect spent all of his 2025 season in Altoona, where he dominated .272/.363/.382 for an OPS of .745 in 119 games, with 118 hits, 67 runs, 15 doubles, three triples, nine home runs, 35 RBI and 20 stolen bases.

Both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America  rank Johnson as the seventh best Pirates prospect coming into the new season.

Former UCLA player Duce Gorson started out with Greensboro before making it to Altoona on June 24, where he spent the rest of the season there. The infielder had a strong season from the plate, slashing .275/.370/.439 for an OPS of .809 in 95 games, with 92 hits, 21 doubles, 10 home runs, 38 RBI and 31 stolen bases. Some websites have Gorson has the 21st top prospect while others don’t even have him in the top 30. 

Catching prospect Omar Alfonzo is expected to be a future star behind the plate, he ranks 13th in baseball America top 30 Pirate prospects. 

While Ross played with both Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting .174/.285/.295 for an OPS of .580 in 68 games played last season. 

Davis has MLB experience, spending time with the Colorado Rockies from 2022-24. He also pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Minnesota Twins  last season. He has an 0-6 record over 27 appearances and six starts, a 9.53 ERA over 62.1 innings pitched, 58 strikeouts to 29 walks, a .364 batting average allowed and a 2.05 WHIP.

Devenski played some time with the New York Mets in 2025 and showed some true potential out of the bullpen. He finished with a 2.16 ERA in 13 games, one start and 16.2 innings pitched, plus 14 strikeouts to five walks, a .179 batting average allowed and a 0.90 WHIP.

Devenski is more of a veteran as he spent some time with the Houston Astros for five seasons in 2016-20, winning the 2017 World Series with them and earning an All-Star nod as a rookie in 2016.

These seven players will join the first seven non-roster invitees to Major League camp in outfielders, Ronny Simon and Dominic Fletcher, infielder Davis Wendzel, right-hander pitchers in Beau Burrows and Noah Murdock, and left-handed pitchers in Joe La Sorsa and Oddanier Mosqueda.

A lot of these prospects have a lot of potential and it will be very fun to see how they will play in Spring Training, especially top prospect Konnor Griffin who is expected to play a big role for the team this season. 

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Austrian skier Manuel Feller pleases home crowd with surprise World Cup slalom win in Kitzbühel

KITZBÜHEL, Austria (AP) — Manuel Feller pleased the home crowd with a surprise win in the World Cup slalom of the classic Hahnenkamm event on Sunday, a day after the Austrian team had a disastrous result in the downhill.

Feller, fourth after the opening leg, kneeled on the snow in the finish area after his run as he watched the final three racers all coming up well short, including first-run leader and world champion Loic Meillard, who finished 0.35 behind in second.

Meillard was seeking his first slalom win of the season after two podiums in December, though he did win a giant slalom in France last month.

Germany’s Linus Strasser, who won the race two years ago, was 0.53 behind in third after edging out Lucas Pinheiro Braathen by four-hundredths for a place on the podium.

When his victory was confirmed, Feller got up, held one of his skis in the air and let out a loud scream.

“I can’t describe how much this means to me,” the Austrian said in a tearful course-side interview.

“This year I was close to quit a few times, just no energy anymore for a few races. But all my life, quitting was no option, so I kept on going.”

His victory came a day after Vincent Kriechmayr in 13th was the best Austrian finisher in the storied Hahnenkamm downhill, which marked the worst result for the home team in the history of the race.

Feller was the 2023-24 slalom champion but has been struggling with back pain in recent years. He had not won a race since triumphing in Palisades Tahoe, California, in March 2024, and had not had a podium result in the current campaign.

“It was probably my toughest season, probably one of the toughest parts of my life,” Feller said. “It’s only skiing, but right now, skiing feels pretty good.”

Feller became the first Austrian winner of the Kitzbühel slalom since Marcel Hirscher triumphed nine years ago.

In the first run, World Cup discipline leader Atle Lie McGrath skied out.

“I’m obviously very disappointed and it hurts a lot,” McGrath said. “I was at the start with a good mindset. I really tried to push and stuff like that happens.”

The United States-born Norwegian went top of the standings last week after winning in Wengen, but has now been overtaken by his close friend and former teammate, Pinheiro Braathen, who competes for Brazil.

A night race on Wednesday in Schladming is the final slalom before the Milan Cortina Olympics.

___

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

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NHL Rumors: Sabres Should Make Big Push For Canucks Sniper

Recently, The Hockey News' Adam Proteau argued that the Buffalo Sabres are due for a big move. With the Sabres looking to snap their 14-year playoff drought, it would certainly be understandable if they were buyers leading up to the deadline.

Proteau also mentioned a handful of potential targets for the Sabres in his piece, with one being Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk.

"Or another Vancouver veteran – rugged winger Jake DeBrusk – could improve Buffalo’s attack," Proteau wrote.

When looking at the Sabres' roster, it is fair to argue that DeBrusk could be a strong fit for their group if acquired. The 29-year-old winger would undoubtedly give their top-nine a nice boost, as he is a skilled winger who can put the puck in the net. 

DeBrusk has 12 goals and 24 points in 50 games so far this season with the Canucks. This is after he scored a career-high 28 goals and recorded 48 points in 82 games for the Canucks during this past season. With numbers like these, he would have the potential to give the Sabres more secondary scoring, which would not be a bad thing.

Another appealing factor about DeBrusk is that he has a reasonable $5.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2030-31 season. With this, he would be more than a rental for the Sabres, which certainly adds to his appeal. 

DeBrusk has a full no-movement clause, so he would need to approve of any trade to the Sabres or elsewhere. Yet, with the Canucks starting a rebuild and the Sabres being an exciting team on the rise, perhaps he could be open to a move to Buffalo if they continue to stay hot as the campaign rolls on. 

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Fantasy Basketball Week 15 Schedule Primer: The last full week before the trade deadline

By the end of Week 15 in the 2025-26 NBA season, the calendar will have flipped to February. And that means one thing: the trade deadline (February 5) is right around the corner. For some fantasy managers, now is the time to ramp up the activity via trades or scouring the waiver wire for players who may have added value after the deadline. Waiting until the week of the deadline to make moves may be too late.

Of course, none of that matters if your team can't get into the playoffs, which is why Week 15 is an important one in fantasy basketball. With this being the last week before the trade deadline, there may not be much movement in the NBA, if any. That should help from an availability standpoint, as things can get tricky in the immediate aftermath of the deadline, since traded players aren't available to their new teams right away.

Like Week 14, games are pretty evenly distributed in Week 15. There are no fewer than six games on any day, with Sunday (ten games) being the busiest, since it is also the week between the NFL conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Let's look at the Week 15 schedule breakdown and a few of its key storylines.

Week 15 Games Played

5 Games: CHI

4 Games: ATL, BKN, BOS, CHA, CLE, DEN, DET, HOU, LAL, MEM, MIA, MIN, NYK, ORL, PHI, PHX, POR, SAS, UTA, WAS

3 Games: DAL, GSW, IND, LAC, MIL, NOR, OKC, SAS, TOR

NBA: Washington Wizards at Los Angeles Clippers
Fantasy Basketball Stock Up Stock Down: Jordan Miller answering the call for Clippers
Miller has impressed in recent days while Jordan Poole continues to prove inconsistent with the Pelicans.

Week 15 Back-to-backs

Sunday (Week 14)-Monday: GSW, MEM, MIN

Monday-Tuesday: PHI, POR

Tuesday-Wednesday: NYK, UTA

Wednesday-Thursday: ATL, CHA, CHI, DAL, HOU, MIA, MIN

Thursday-Friday: BKN, DEN, DET, PHX, SAC, WAS

Friday-Saturday: MEM, NOR

Saturday-Sunday: CHI, MIA, SAS

Sunday-Monday (Week 16): LAC

Week 15 Storylines of Note

- Bucks move forward without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf).

Already reeling, the Milwaukee Bucks lost Giannis Antetokounmpo to a strained right calf during Friday's loss to the Nuggets. While the team has not offered a diagnosis, Antetokounmpo told the media he expects to miss four to six weeks. Already without Kevin Porter Jr. (oblique), the Bucks will have to navigate a three-game Week 15 without their two most valuable options in terms of fantasy basketball. Can a low-rostered player besides Ryan Rollins or Bobby Portis step up for fantasy managers? Or should they look elsewhere for value? The Bucks play on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, all days with at least seven games scheduled. That's not the best from a streaming standpoint, but given who the Bucks won't have, rolling the dice on someone like Kyle Kuzma would be understandable, even if their fantasy value hasn't been good overall.

- Grizzlies play a four-game week without Ja Morant (elbow).

Morant suffered a sprained UCL in his left elbow and will be re-evaluated in three weeks. He's already missed at least four consecutive games on three separate occasions this season, and the latest injury will cause a fourth extended absence unless something drastic happens regarding the guard's availability. Cam Spencer has been the best streaming option when Morant sits, and now would be a good time to add the second-year guard if he's sitting on the waiver wire. The Grizzlies' four-game Week 15 ends with a Friday/Saturday back-to-back, and games against the Hornets (Wednesday) and Pelicans (Friday) could be good ones for those interested in adding a player like Spencer or Cedric Coward.

- The Bulls have the league's busiest Week 15 schedule, including a run of four games in five days.

No team plays fewer than three games in Week 15, and Chicago is the only one that will play five. This was initially supposed to be a four-game week for the Bulls, but the January 8 meeting with the Heat, postponed due to condensation on the United Center court, was rescheduled for January 29. That gives the Bulls two back-to-backs over five days during a five-game week. Also, the final three games will be against the same team, as the Bulls visit the Heat on Saturday and Sunday. With Josh Giddey and Coby White recently returning from injury, Week 15 could be a challenging one for them and for fantasy managers from an availability standpoint.

- The Warriors are the lone team that doesn't play after Friday.

Not having Jimmy Butler III (knee) for the rest of the season has opened up opportunities for some of the other Warriors. Unfortunately, Jonathan Kuminga went down with ankle and knee injuries during Thursday's loss to the Mavericks. Ruled out for the Warriors' final game of Week 14 on Sunday against the Timberwolves, it's unknown how much time he'll miss. Monday's rematch with Minnesota is the first of three games the Warriors will play during Week 15, and their schedule wraps up on Friday against the Pistons. Should fantasy managers move on from a Brandin Podziemski or De'Anthony Melton following Friday's games simply because of the schedule? Probably not. But a player like Buddy Hield may not be worth holding onto if you decide to stream them to begin the week.

- The Heat, Spurs and Raptors won't play their first games of Week 15 until Wednesday.

The low-rostered players on these teams won't do fantasy managers any good during the first two days of Week 15, but Miami could be especially valuable from Wednesday onward. Due to the rescheduled game with the Bulls, the Heat play four games over the final five days of Week 15, starting with a home game against the Magic on Wednesday. Tyler Herro (ribs) and Kel'el Ware (hamstring) are both out, with the former likely looking at an extended absence. Add in Davion Mitchell's recent shoulder injury, and the Heat may have to navigate Week 15 without three rotation players. Nikola Jović has played backup center minutes, but Saturday's win over the Jazz was the first in which he truly took advantage of the new role after struggling two nights prior against Portland.

While the Heat play four games in Week 15, the Spurs and Raptors will only play three. San Antonio's slate concludes with a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday. We'll see how that affects Devin Vassell, who will make his return from an adductor injury in San Antonio's final game of Week 14 against the Pelicans. His availability affects Julian Champagnie, who has performed well as the fifth starter.

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15 stats to explain Cavs 119-105 victory over Magic

The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business as they defeated the Orlando Magic 119-105 to win their third game in a row.

The stats in the table below are from Cleaning the Glass.

Effective Field Goal PercentageOffensive Rebounding PercentageOffensive Turnover PercentageFree Throw Rate
Cavs62.3%, 88th percentile23.1%, 22nd percentile17.2%, 27th percentile22.2, 57th percentile
Magic47.5%, 14th percentile31.2%, 62nd percentile16.2%, 34th percentile34.6, 94th percentile

Now, let’s dive into the numbers.

  • Donovan Mitchell scored 27 of his 36 points in the second half. Mitchell struggled to get anything going at the start of the game, but turned it around in the second half. Orlando couldn’t keep him from driving inside as he went 9-14 on shots in the paint in the second half.
  • Mitchell is now leading the league in second-half scoring with 17.2 points per game on .519/.427/.836 shooting splits. The Cavs have needed their best player to carry their offense to victory many nights. The numbers partially reflect that. However, they also show just how gifted a scorer Mitchell really is. He’s been producing in volume and efficiency when his team has needed him most, regardless of what his clutch numbers say.
  • This was the 17th time this season that Mitchell has scored 20 or more points in the second half. The Cavs are 11-6 when he does so and 7-0 when he puts up 24 or more over the final two quarters.
  • The Cavs are now 10-1 when Mitchell scores 35 or more points. This team has gone as Mitchell has from a scoring perspective. That trend continued again in Orlando.
  • Mitchell hit just two triples en route to his 36-point performance. He’s reached at least 30 points 24 times this season, and he’s registered two or fewer three-point makes in just five of those outings. This was the second time he’s scored 35 or more and had just two outside field goals.
  • This was the third time this season Mitchell has contributed at least nine assists. The Cavs have won each time he’s done so. They’re 10-5 when he has seven or more assists in a game.
  • The Magic went just 11-40 (27.5%) from three. They’re the second-worst three-point shooting team in the league this season. The Cavs, understandably, played into that. They packed the paint and dared the Magic to shoot. This led to them taking 43% of their shots from beyond the arc (74th percentile). That’s exactly how you want to play the Magic.
  • Only 26% of Orlando’s field-goal attempts came at the rim (26th percentile). The best defenses force their opponent to take their shots where they want them to. The Cavs did this as they kept the Magic from getting to the rim. Cleveland executed their defensive game plan perfectly.
  • Cleveland outscored Orlando 50-40 in the paint.
  • The Cavs connected on 44.1% of their threes (85th percentile). This was the 15th time this season the Cavs hit 40% or more of their triples. They’re 11-4 when they do so.
  • Cavaliers outside of Mitchell and Evan Mobley went 12-20 (60%) from beyond the arc. This was a well-rounded performance where each member in the rotation made a positive contribution in the victory.
  • Cleveland had five players finish in double figures scoring: Mitchell (36), Jaylon Tyson (17), Mobley (13), Tyrese Proctor (12), and Dean Wade (10).
  • This was the eighth time Wade has scored 10 or more points in a game this season. The Cavs are now 6-2 when he does so.
  • Twenty-seven of Cleveland’s 43 field goals were assisted. The ball was moving around the court well in Orlando. That doesn’t always show through in the assist numbers, but it did so here.
  • Five Cavaliers contributed two or more assists: Mitchell (9), Nae’Qwan Tomlin (4), Tyson (4), Mobley (3), and Lonzo Ball (2).

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Today on Pinstripe Alley – 1/25/26

It’s a snowy Sunday across much of the US, and the hot stove is cooling off as well, with most of the work done across the league. Only four of MLB Trade Rumors’ Top 25 free agents remain unsigned (Framber Valdez, Eugenio Suárez, Zac Gallen and Christ Bassitt), leaving the sport as a whole almost ready to head to spring training in a few weeks. If you’re in the area of this winter storm, we hope you stay dry and warm; keep inside and perhaps enjoy a couple of big NFL games later on. On the site today, Matt profiles Les Nunamaker, an old-time Yankee that New York swiped from the Red Sox before they’d even stripped Boston of Babe Ruth, while John goes around the week that was in Yankees social media.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Do you think there’s any chance the Yankees spring for one of the veteran starting pitcher remaining (Gallen, Bassitt, Lucas Giolito), or will any additional pitching acquisitions be more low profile?

2. Any predictions for today’s championship NFL games?